Management
The Staff
Henderson Mullin – Chief Executive
Henderson worked in business publishing for several years before joining Index on Censorship in 1998, an NGO which publishes books and magazines in support of freedom of expression. As its publisher, and then Chief Executive, Henderson worked to introduce new writers and voices to cultural and political issues alongside established writers such as Margaret Atwood, Christopher Hitchens, Noam Chomsky, Philip Pullman, John Le Carré, Günter Grass, Umberto Eco and others. He has worked in local, national and international partnerships finding new audiences for writers and artists using digital and physical forms of expression and in projects giving voice to marginalised groups. He was a member of The Rhythm Writers, a performance writer’s collective, based in London. Henderson has contributed to various advisory boards including Writers and Scholars Educational Trust, Open Air FM, Human Rights House Network, and the Free Word Centre for Literature, Literacy and Freedom of Expression. He is currently a Regional Artist Advisor for Artists taking the lead – Arts Council England’s flagship project for the Cultural Olympiad.
Catherine Rogers – Projects and Marketing Manager
Before joining Writing East Midlands Catherine Rogers was the Literature Development Officer for Derby where she co-ordinated and programmed many literature events and projects. She is responsible for bringing together Hello Hubmarine, a new writing and spoken word collective including the Time Travel Opportunists, who publish and run live literature nights. She has worked in different community arts settings both as an artist and arts worker including, co-ordinating a reminiscence project for Charnwood Arts, working as Youth Arts Officer for Amber Valley Borough Council and running participatory arts workshops at community events and festivals. She currently sits on the regional board for the English National Youth Arts Network. After graduating from the University of Bristol with a degree in Classical Studies, Catherine gained valuable experience in the publishing industry with I.B.Tauris and then with Daunt books.
Antonia Bell – PA and Operations Manager
Antonia moved to Nottingham from Brighton in 2008. Her previous role as Office Manager for a digital marketing agency encompassed HR, Finance and Senior Management support. She has worked for Amnesty International, where she organised numerous events; for the BBC as a reporter, reviewer, and assistant producer and for Disney Interactive in the HR department. Antonia has a diploma in Print and Radio Journalism and a degree in Economics and History from Exeter University.
Serenah Cole – Lyric Lounge Project Coordinator and Programmer
Serenah is a performance poet, playwright, and producer based in Leicester, who is currently the Programmer and Coordinator of ‘The Lyric Lounge’. Her artistic vision is to use poetry and playwriting to rewrite commonly held social stereotypes in order to promote greater understanding and cohesion between age, social and cultural groups. She is part of the Apples and Snakes ‘Evolve’ writer development program; has been commissioned to write and perform for; The National Space Centre; ‘The Roots Project’ (Arts Council and BBC Radio) and Leicester Black Achievers Awards. She has performed for Apples and Snakes and at; Glastonbury Music Festival; The Soho Theatre and The Hackney Empire to name but a few. She founded ‘NOIZinZION’ performance poetry and music events funded by the Arts Council. She was invited onto The Royal Court Theatres prestigious ‘Invitation Group’ Advanced Playwrighting Course, where she produced a reading of her first play ‘And It Hurts Like Brand New Shoes’. She is also a member of ‘The Hub’ The Soho Theatre’s new writer development program; and produced ‘A Letter to England’ A Double Bill of New British Political Plays at The Finborough Theatre, London; Showcasing ‘The Blessing Way’ by Nirjay Mahindru and ‘The Insurgents’ by Anders Lustgarten.
Board
Peter Preston
Chair of the Board of Directors of Writing East Midlands, Peter retired in 2005 as Director of Continuing Education at the University of Nottingham, where he is now a Special Lecturer in the School of English Studies and Academic Adviser to the D. H. Lawrence Research Centre, which he founded in 1991. He has been teaching contemporary fiction for almost forty years and has also been involved in the support and promotion of new writers. Peter served on the Literature Panel of Lincolnshire and Humberside Arts and was for a number of years one of the assessors for the annual Writer’s Bursary scheme at East Midlands Art. In the past two years he has published academic articles on Graham Swift and Ian McEwan, Zadie Smith and Monica Ali and other recent fiction. He is also studying for an undergraduate qualification in Art History.
Christopher Walker
Christopher is the course leader for De Montfort University’s MA in Television Scriptwriting. He was Head of Central Television’s Script Unit and Creative Executive of CTCP (Columbia TriStar Central Productions). He produced the ITV sitcoms The Upper Hand and Sob Sisters and has developed projects for Carlton and the BBC. Christopher has contributed to screenwriting courses at the Phoenix, Broadway and Metro and has given lectures in the United States and Germany. He has been an adviser to East Midlands Arts and was on the board of trustees at Nottingham Playhouse. He is currently the Vice Chair of Dance 4.
Rakesh Parmar
Rakesh joined the Writing East Midlands board in March 2008. He has marketed events for a long list of writers and artists including Ben Okri, Sue Townsend, Ken Loach, Will Self, Andrew Motion, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Shamshad Khan. As a creative producer he was commissioned by the Bass Festival to produce a unique East Midlands event, he created the region’s first URBAN POETRY SLAM. For four years now Rakesh has staged BEATROOT – The poetry hour for Big Session Folk Festival at Leicester’s De Montfort Hall. Rakesh is treasurer and promoter of Leicester’s longest running open mic evening WORD!
Stephen Lowe
Stephen has written and staged many plays as well as writing regularly for TV and film. He has been resident playwright at the Royal Court, Riverside Studios, and Dartington College of Arts. He established the practical programme of work on the MA playwrighting course at Birmingham University, and has conducted TV and theatre writing courses for, amongst others, the Arvon Foundation, National Theatre, RSC, South West Arts, Granada TV, the BBC, as well as abroad. Stephen has served on various advisory boards, including South West Arts, the board of Great Eastern Stage Company, and the advisory panel to Nottingham Trent University Theatre Design department. He was formerly chair of East Midlands Arts.
Malcolm Burgess
Malcolm is a publisher, freelance literature project manager, consultant and writer. Until 2007 he was Literature Manager for Essex, responsible for developing the county’s literature strategy and infrastructure, promoting new and existing writers, creating new audiences and partnerships and helping to brand Essex as a dynamic player in the UK and internationally. Has previously worked as a marketing manager for a major UK publisher, plus as feature writer, scriptwriter and author. Malcolm has extensive literature project management experience, as well as extensive press and radio media experience.
Paul Denney
Paul has 10 years of successful business experience in the East Midlands having worked as Head of Corporate Development for Experian, one of the region’s largest public companies. In this role he oversaw a significant expansion in international markets across Europe and Asia. Paul has also worked in Corporate Finance across the East Midlands and he now works as an independent consultant, advising businesses and not-for-profit organisations on strategy and financial planning. Paul has an MBA from London Business School and lives in Nottingham.
Alison Harrold
Alison has extensive experience in marketing and business development. She began her career in advertising agencies working for BMP DDB Needham London before moving to Microsoft UK as Communications Manager and Retail Marketing Manager. In 2006 Alison established her own company, The Marketing Division (TMD). As Managing Director of a growing business, Alison has secured major communications contracts in the public and private sector.
